Josette Marsh Candidate Statement 2024

Name: Josette Marsh

Alliance Française chapter of which you are a member: Reno; Silicon Valley; Hawaii

Please tell us about your current role in your chapter and for how long you have been doing it: President AF Reno since Dec 2022; Secretary AFSCV since 2022; Regent AF Hawaii since 2022; Board Member/President representative of North America and the anglophone Caribbean since 2020

Previous roles in this chapter, other chapters, or on the FAF board: President, FAFUSA; VP FAFUSA; President, AF Hawaii

Occupation/profession: Retired

Education/degrees: BS Environmental Design - University of California, Davis; MA French - University of Hawaii, Manoa

Candidacy Statement - Please write a short summary describing your reasons to join the board (i.e., motivation, experience, vision, highlights).

It has been a personally rewarding experience to have served on the Federation AFUSA board of directors since 2010 in both leadership positions - Corporate Secretary 2013 - 2014; President 2015 - 2017 and 2019 - 2020 - and as an active member of several committees including during two mandatory years as a non-member of the board. Specifically, the reward has been witnessing the growth and strength of the Federation due to the board's continued development of programs and resources in support of our chapters such as the expansion of our Grants program, our partnership with AATF, and in particular the online seminars, webinars, and cultural offerings that we provided during the pandemic. Also, our efforts to improve the efficiency of our communication with the AFs in our network through our mentoring/liaison program and regular email correspondence has resulted in more engagement with smaller chapters that has helped us to better understand their needs, and has enabled us to share their successes with each other. I also believe that, because the Federation has become a meaningful resource for our chapters, we've attracted and welcomed new board members from diverse backgrounds who have brought new perspectives and skillsets to our group. My motivation to rejoin the board is to continue contributing to the success of the Federation as a voting member.

Description of background and skill sets that would be applied in a board position. These could include expertise in marketing, fundraising, legal expertise, IT experience/graphic design, social media, expertise in the fields of French language pedagogy and francophone culture, etc.

During my tenure on the Federation board, my achievements were mainly in the areas of marketing, fundraising, and communication.

Candidate's name and date

Josette Marsh 23 May 2024